Stuck In The Moment
by firstlaughintartarus
Summary: He should have been there, right next to her, his arms wrapping her safely in a blanket of warmth, but all she felt was cold.


Her eyes fluttered open after a restless sleep. Her heart pounded, wishing it had all been part of that horrible nightmare. His pale, lifeless face, his empty eyes, it had to have been all her imagination. Simply because Percy couldn't die, _wouldn't_ die, it would mean leaving her. And that was something he had promised never to do. She felt around her bed, looking for the warmth of Percy's body. The pair of them had taken to falling asleep in each other's beds. He should have been there, right next to her, his arms wrapping her safely in a blanket of warmth, but all she felt was cold. She sucked in a breath, it had been a while since she woke up alone, and it jarred her. She shook her head and jumped out of bed. She walked straight out of her cabin and peered into the porthole of Percy's room. His bed was empty, and didn't look slept in. That's okay, Annabeth thought, he's probably in the bathroom and he didn't sleep last night because the war had just ended. She pushed open the door. She walked past the little things all over the floor on her way to the bathroom, her heart breaking down just a little every time she walked past one of his filthy gym shorts, a camp T-shirt, or his jeans.

She knocked on the bathroom door once, twice. No answer.

"Percy?" she called, slightly panicky now because his cold, clammy face was so real in her mind.

"Percy!" she said, louder. Her friends' voices, sobs were closing in on her heart, whispering his name, over and over and over again. No breath. No breath coming from his lips, pouring out of his lips, his beautiful lips that she had kissed a million times. No life. But it had been a dream, hadn't it?

She took a few deep breaths herself. He's in the mess hall, or on deck, she thought, the optimist in her was there, but weakened by the dread. She stumbled a bit on her way to the mess hall, pushing open the door with trembling fingers.

Leo, Piper, Hazel, Jason, Frank and Nico were sitting around the table.

"Guys?" Annabeth whispered.

They all looked at her. Jason, Frank, Nico and Leo looked devastated, sporting baggy eyes, pale faces and helpless expressions. Nico looked almost like he had been crying. The girls had tearstains running down their faces and red, bloodshot eyes. Hazel let loose another sob.

"Why-why are you all crying?" Annabeth wailed, feeling the tears form in her eyes, though she didn't know why she was sad. _Percy's on deck, _she wanted to scream.

"Where's Percy? Tell me where Percy is!" She shouted.

"Annabeth…" Piper trailed off.

"PERCY!" Annabeth shouted and she ran out of the mess hall, away from those people that thought he was _dead_. She fumbled up the stairs leading to the deck. She staggered on her feet, dizzy with the horrible possibility.

"PERCY!" she screamed again, tears streamed down her face.

"Percy! Where are you?" she sobbed, running around the whole deck.

"Percy! Seaweed Brain! Come back to me!" she sobbed and screamed until her throat was hoarse.

She slumped down against a pillar and put her head on her knees because the memories were piercing her brain, making every nerve in there rattle and cry alongside her.

They're twelve and she's looking at the boy with the sea green eyes, wondering what on earth to do with him. He's proved he's useful by retrieving the bolt and returning it in the nick of time. Not completely worthless, she thinks. She's feeling something small purr inside her, but shoos it away quickly.

Oh my gods, he's a guinea pig, she thinks. She has to get him to become his usual funny, sarcastic, annoyingly cute self again; she needs him to become Percy again. She might not have known it yet, but she needs this Percy Jackson more than she'd like to admit.

She feels like her arms are about to break, she knows it, they will shatter into a thousand pieces right now. But he's here again, and everything is okay, because Percy's here, and when Percy is there everything is better. He came for her, he came to save her, and that's what nearly makes her throw her arms around that totally seaweed brained son of Poseidon. That's what makes her heart start beating faster when he dances with her later that night.

She's thinking of the kiss right now, his shroud is burning and all she can think about is the feel of his lips, his sweet and salty, completely kissable lips, on hers. And her heart is breaking because he's gone. Seaweed Brain is gone. Tears well up in her eyes again and she almost doesn't see him standing there. The hug she gives him releases all her anger, fright, worry and most of all care into him. Percy doesn't know how she felt, heck, _she_ doesn't know how she felt. How could a dimwitted son of Poseidon know then?

She's smiling against his lips; it's beautiful, having your third, but second real kiss at the bottom of a lake all cozy in a little bubble. The kiss is wonderful; the taste of Percy's lips is just _heavenly. _She never wants to stop, not today, not tomorrow, not in a million years. His hands are on her back, resting on her bare skin because her t-shirt is kind of hitched up, and she feels warmth spread through her where his fingertips tickle her skin. _I'm crazy, _she thinks when she realizes how much she's wanted Percy this whole time, the reason for her anger when Rachel Elizabeth Dare came into play, why she's always been so protective of Percy. The happiness she always feels when Percy's around, it's all so simple, yet inexplicably complicated. _You love him!_ Her heart is screaming at her and her brain is, only now, willing to accept it. She's in love with Percy; she's in love with Seaweed Brain. She's in love with the stupid, dimwitted, and absolutely _obtuse_ son of Poseidon. Go figure.

She stares into his eyes, the lights from the city of love are illuminating them. She had never dreamed she would be dining on the Eiffel Tower for her one-month anniversary with Percy. He really outdid himself. She wants to kiss him so bad, but she'd probably knock over the breadbasket if she tried leaning over the table. So she just holds his hand. They make small talk. It's awkward but it feels good, because there's that calm too, and they're new to this whole 'dating' thing. I mean, getting to kiss Percy whenever you want? It takes time to get used to. Simple gestures like holding hands make her all nervous and sweaty, and she starts thinking of all the ways she could mess up. Then when they kiss, oh wow. There is simply nothing in the world more wonderful than the feel of Percy's lips on hers. The way their lips move in sync, the way they spread a hot, searing sensation all over her body, and the way they taste, it's all so beautiful, so perfect. She's thinking about all this and chewing down her food. She almost misses it when Percy calls her a beautiful girl. And when they walk by the river after dinner, she kicks off her high heels and lets her dress get wet. Percy picks her up, spins her around and kisses her. There's that burning again.

Oh my gods, he's gone! She's panicking because Percy's not there. He simply _has _to be there. Her heart, oh her aching heart, is beating faster than she ever thought it could. Where is he? Is he dead? Please let him not be dead. Please. She prays to all the gods she knows of, even Hades. She doesn't sleep for nights afterwards, tossing and turning, and constantly looking, searching, hunting for Percy Jackson, because he's gotten away from her again. She finally had him only to have him slip right through her fingers. Then there's this new guy, Jason. She doesn't trust him. He brings on a whole lot more upsetting theories that just make her wonder what she did in her past life to have this horrible fate.

Oh, so close! So close! He was there, in the dream! Right there, she could almost touch him. He was _hardly an inch away_. She kept thinking about what he had said, _Are you real?_ Does he remember her? Does he recognize her? Or did he throw out those words not really meaning anything by them? She prays that he remembers her, because if he forgot everything right now, then they would be back to square one. Back to that day at camp when she noticed he drooled in his sleep. She had it all, and then her life had to go all messed up again. But there was a chance; Jason's memories were almost fully returned. Just a few unimportant names and faces left. There was a chance, a small chance, but a chance.

Her heart is hammering because she knows where they are now, how alone they are. She tells him to hold her and he does. The soft light from the stables and the gentle rocking of the boat feels relaxing, calm. Then, of course, there's Percy. He is holding her and nuzzling the top of her head until she cannot stand it any longer. She turns her head and kisses him. He is taken aback, but soon enough, his arms are snaking around her, enveloping her in his warmth. She's fumbling with his hair and is slightly aware that she's leaning on Percy. He falls onto his back and she's on top of him. Oh, gods. But nothing's stopping her from kissing her amazing (not to mention incredibly _hot_) boyfriend. She hasn't seen him in eight months, for Zeus's sake! This motivates her to move on from his mouth to his jaw line, neck, that soft spot under his ear. He does the same to her and she loves it. And when the drone of the engine finally gets to her and her eyes droop closed, she can hear his heartbeat through his shirt and chest.

"You're not dying on me, Seaweed Brain," she says, looking into Percy's beautiful eyes, they held so much thought and sorrow. "Remember? Never separated again. And after we get home…" She cuts off. She doesn't know what will happen. But she's kind of hoping some happy years of dating, and then maybe, possibly, hopefully… getting married, raising a family.

"What?" Percy asks, because she's left him hanging.

She doesn't know what to say, so she gives him a sweet kiss. "Ask me again, once we defeat Gaea." She has a feeling her head will be clearer when Gaea is out of the picture. It was too hard to think with the constant threat looming over her head.

Percy smiles, being so sweet and understanding. "Whatever you say."

She wants to kiss him again, but she holds herself back, he's gotten this sad look on his face, and she knows he's thinking about Bob and Damasen. He looks at the stars; they're growing brighter in the rapidly darkening sky.

"Bob says hello."

The pillar felt hard against her back. She could vaguely register the tears staining her face. Her ears are still ringing from a piercing scream she heard while she was drowning in memories. It could have been her. But all that was driven out of her brain when a new, recent, and completely horrifying memory washed over her brain.

_ When the monster dug it's talons into Percy's chest and raked him across his middle, Annabeth felt like she had been punched. Hard. She watched in shock as Percy fell, barely moving. Her vision turned red as anger entered her brain. She ran, shouting as she did so, at the monster and without a moment's hesitation, she stabbed it in the belly. The horrifying thing vaporized instantly. She didn't even bother to admire her handiwork. As soon as she wrenched the sword out, she ran to Percy. Her friends had already gathered around him. They were fishing around in their backpacks, digging into their pockets, and checking their canteens. They were looking for nectar and ambrosia. But Annabeth knew they had only a quarter of a square of Ambrosia and not even a drop of nectar. They immediately dispersed as she arrived. _

_ "Percy!" she cried, seeing him in this bloody state made her want to cry her heart out. _

_ He took a shuddering breath, and winced. _

_ "Oh my gods, you're hurt!" Annabeth screamed, kneeling down in front of him._

_ "Oh good, I'm not crazy then," Percy smirked. _

_ She felt like slapping him, how could he joke around right now? She scanned her eyes over his wounds. His shirt was soaked, literally dripping with blood. There was a big hole in the shirt right at the bottom of his rib cage. His flesh was torn open, glistening red. Annabeth felt faint looking at him like this. There was a big cut above his left eyebrow, a gash on his arm, and multiple scratches on his legs. _

_ "Pretty bad, huh?" He whispered, his voice wavering. _

_ "Ambrosia. We need to get you ambrosia." She fished out the quarter of an ambrosia square she had in her pocket, her hands were trembling so bad she could barely hold it. She shoved it into his mouth and for a moment his face seemed to gain some color. _

_ "Mm, cookies, chocolate chip cookies." Percy murmured smiling; it looked innocent even with his bloody lips. Then he grunted like it hurt to smile. _

_ "Do you feel better?" she breathed, ordering herself to remain calm._

_ "Listen, Annabeth," he took her hand, "I think we both know this isn't going to help much. We need Apollo sized healing power and we have no communication to the gods whatsoever. I'm sorry if I sound like a pessimist, it's just kind of hopeless. That monster got me real bad." _

_ "Don't you _dare_ talk to me like that, Percy Jackson! Who said you were going to die? You're going to be perfectly fine, we're going to make it back to Camp and you'll get to see Grover, Conner and Travis, Juniper, and maybe even Clarisse." _

_She cupped his face in her hands and took a shaky breath, wishing with all her might that the tears wouldn't fall. Of course they fell. _

_"Somebody get some Ambrosia from the ship! NOW!" She cried at the five behind her. _

_Frank immediately turned into a giant eagle and flew off in the direction of the ship. _

_She turned her attention back to Percy, and started to sob. _

_"Aw, don't cry now. Come on, it's okay, shhh." Percy raised a hand and wiped away her tears. Here he was, dying, and Percy was the one comforting her. _

_"It-it's not okay!" Annabeth said shakily, her whole body shuddered, "You understand? It's not okay!"_

_ "Alright, I'm sorry." Percy replied calmly. He was taking all of this much better than she was. _

_ His hand was still squeezing hers. He took a deep, trembling, and horrifying breath. _

_ "Hurts," Percy winced, "A lot." _

_ "Yeah, I know, baby. We're going to get you some ambrosia and you'll be fine." Annabeth murmured. It seemed like Percy got a little better just for a second. She hadn't called him 'baby' in ages. _

_ She fingered his face and kissed him. He had enough strength to kiss back. But immediately after that, his breathing turned shallow. How long was Frank taking? _

_ "Annabeth, we defeated Gaea," Percy said, panting with the effort of talking. "We did it."_

_ "Yeah, we're all safe now. Well, to some extent." _

_ "Good, then I'll die happy." _

_ The words pierced her like a knife. With despair, she knew they were true. Percy was dying. The Fates had no mercy. He must have noticed that she didn't try to comfort him of anything, because he kissed her hand and held it close. The tears fell alarmingly fast down Annabeth's face, hot and pearly tears bigger than she had ever seen before. All hope was lost, so she curled up next to Percy on the hard floor and pressed her lips to his hair. He drummed his fingers on her side and she could almost believe they were back in Percy's cabin in the _Argo II_, curled up next to each other. She could feel Percy's life slipping away, and that's why she could barely hear it when he whispered his last three words to his girlfriend. _

_ "I love you," Percy Jackson murmured before his face turned cold and his body went slack. _

The tears had finally left Annabeth alone. She guessed there was just too much pain for the tears now. She had to face it, it really had happened. No dream, not even a nightmare, was that vivid. She could recall the feel of his pale and dead skin, the absence of breath flying out of his lips, and the raspy, frail sound of his voice when he said his last words. How very cruel it was, for Percy to have his 'I love you' moment right when he was about to die. She had been waiting ever since they started dating for Percy to tell her he loved her, but little did she know how it would turn out in the end. When he died, Nico had told them he could see Percy's spirit leaving his body. He said he had never seen a brighter soul. Percy would have to be granted Elysium. The others had stared in shock at Annabeth, Percy's body, and Nico. She figured it was because the three of them had known each other the longest. The two of them should be feeling the most pain. And they were right. Annabeth doubted anyone had ever felt as empty as did right now, as meaningless as she did now. There was a whole section of her heart that felt as if it had been hollowed out with a carving knife until it was raw and damaged to an irreparable level. She knew now that she would never love someone as she had loved Percy, because how can you replace someone who risked their life for you countless times, saved the world with you, turned down being a god for you, and fell into Tartarus with you? Who can beat that? Annabeth smiled to herself as she thought about how Percy had set an all-new level. He had been the _best. Freaking. Boyfriend. Ever. _

With that thought, Annabeth made her way back to mess hall, back to friends she had so rudely left.

* * *

**AN: I hope with my whole being that nothing even remotely close to this ever happens. Leave a review if you can! **


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